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March 11, 2026 \u2014 5:00pm<\/p>\n
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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n Save this article for later<\/p>\n Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime.<\/p>\n Got it<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n Melbourne has been crowned the best city in the world for 2026 by a global lifestyle media brand for its diversity, liveliness and vibrant cultural scene.<\/p>\n It\u2019s the first time an Australian city has taken the top spot on Time Out\u2019s list of the 50 best cities, with the Victorian capital beating the likes of London and New York.<\/p>\n Melbourne defeated Shanghai, Edinburgh, London and New York, which rounded out the top five on the list.<\/p>\n Melbourne\u2019s previous top placing was second in 2016, and this year it climbed three places, from fourth place in 2025. Sydney also made the list ranking at number 21, and Adelaide came in at number 29.<\/p>\n The list, which has been running for 10 years, is based on a survey of 24,000 people across the world who live in cities and a panel of 100 experts selected by Time Out who were asked to name the most exciting cities in the world right now.<\/p>\n Related Article Data from 44 different criteria was combined to create the ranking, with Melburnians ranking their home town particularly high in local responses to statements including: \u201cMy city makes me happy\u201d and \u201cI find joy in the everyday experiences where I live.\u201d<\/p>\n Alice Ellis, editor-in-chief for Time Out Australia, said Melburnians scored the city very highly for criteria including diversity, liveliness, cultural activities and affordability of going out.<\/p>\n An insider with detailed knowledge of the methodology, who was not authorised to speak publicly, revealed that although the ranking is compiled using the survey data, Time Out editors around the world also discuss what order cities will be ranked based on a host of factors, including geographic diversity and potential Time Out opportunities. The survey results were combined with Time Out city editors\u2019 responses to help determine the final rankings.<\/p>\n Ellis defended the methodology used by Time Out, which she said was more of an \u201cattitudinal survey\u201d compared with rankings like the Economist\u2019s Intelligence Unit\u2019s 2025 Global Liveability Index, which ranked Melbourne as the fourth most-liveable city in the world last year.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s as scientific as we can get in terms of getting a sense of how people feel about where they live at the moment,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Ellis said it was a challenging time around the world, and the result was a good reminder that Melbourne was a fairly exceptional place to live.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u201cWe know that Melbourne isn\u2019t perfect,\u201d she said. \u201cWe were really pleased to see that Melbourne locals overall do rate the place they live highly, especially compared to other places around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n On the streets of the CBD when asked what they thought was the world\u2019s best city, locals were happy to nominate their own city.<\/p>\n Meg Scott moved from London 10 years ago and said while she loved going home to London, \u201cit\u2019s chaotic and just feels really busy\u201d, whereas she found Melbourne more relaxed. \u201cMelbourne\u2019s got a much slower pace, and you can walk around and feel comfortable without feeling hectic,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Scott says she loves Melbourne\u2019s shopping, food and, particularly, its bakeries.<\/p>\n Giovanni Arlinda lives in Warrnambool, where she moved to from Indonesia, but agrees Melbourne is the world\u2019s best city because of its air quality and public transport.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s balanced between the nature and also the city life,\u201d she said. \u201cFor me personally, it\u2019s a balanced city, so I love it.\u201d<\/p>\n But Dhathri Bellave and Lachlan Bajema, in town from Sydney for the Formula 1 Grand Prix, were divided on whether Melbourne deserved the crown.<\/p>\n Bellave nominated Queenstown in New Zealand because of its beauty. \u201cI would love to live there,\u201d she said, naming London as another potentially superior city, while Bajema said he believed Melbourne outranked his home town of Sydney.<\/p>\n \u201cI like Melbourne more than Sydney,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s more affordable. Sydney\u2019s impossible. Sydney is beautiful, it\u2019s a beautiful city, it\u2019s great to grow up in, but it\u2019s more accessible and cheap in Melbourne. It just makes more sense.\u201d<\/p>\n Lord Mayor Nick Reece said all Melburnians could feel a sense of pride at being the No.1 city in the world.<\/p>\n \u201cAs lord mayor, you could imagine, I\u2019m ready to do high jumps off the table with joy at a big result like this,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was only a few short years ago that Melbourne was facing some serious challenges. By some accounts, we were the most locked-down city in the world. Now we are top of the table.\u201d<\/p>\n Reece also had some feedback for Sydney, which was ranked 21st.<\/p>\n \u201cI think Sydney is an absolutely fantastic city, and I look forward to sharing our knowledge and experience with them about what makes a great city when I next visit,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Start the day with a summary of the day\u2019s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n![\"Meg](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/be8586da626e421e15e55c122315360f1aa6ce57.jpeg\")
Meg Scott, with baby Layla, believes Melbourne is the best city in the world. Joe Armao<\/p>\n![\"Vox](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/3d12c71092cb43c52d53e1fcbc1f094a8a55466e.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Giovanni](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/7708ea11e7313fa5ff7a4098e3bef7e97be9bc39.jpeg\")
Giovanni Arlinda lives in Warrnambool but loves Melbourne. Joe Armao<\/p>\n![\"Dhathri](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/68a3f4d0ca3fdadb2c06255f8a04b9bb97bda8da.jpeg\")
Dhathri Bellave and Lachlan Bajema in town from Sydney for the Formula 1 were divided on what is the world\u2019s best city.Joe Armao<\/p>\n